What are Church-service missionaries?

The purpose of the Church-Service Missionary Program is to provide opportunities for members to give their time to the Lord through work-related service missions. Church-service missionaries serve at least 8 hours per week. They normally serve for 6 to 24 months.

What are the qualifications to serve?

All Church-service missionaries must be worthy to hold a temple recommend and should have no minor children living at home. They must be physically, mentally, and emotionally able to fulfill the specific call and its related duties. Prospective missionaries must also provide their own transportation and financial support. Church-service missionaries are responsible for their own medical and dental needs, including eye-care and prescription-drug expenses.

How do members initiate a mission call?

Members become aware of Church-service missionary opportunities through a variety of sources, including priesthood leaders, this website, other members, or through local bulletins that are published in different areas around the Church. Information gained from any source should be confirmed through communication with the operation that is requesting missionaries or through local priesthood leaders.

Members should contact and discuss service opportunities with the contact listed in the posting. This allows potential missionaries and the operation manager to determine if there is a good fit. Members should prayerfully consider the assignment to determine if they should pursue the service opportunity.

If affirmed, members must complete a form entitled Recommendation for Part-Time Church-Service Missionary and give it to their bishop. This form may be printed from this website. Members should carefully complete each section of the recommendation form, including where they are going to serve, how many hours each week, when they are going to start, and how long of a mission they would like to serve.

What is the missionary calling process?

Upon receiving the completed recommendation forms, the bishop certifies the worthiness of the member and concurs with the selected choice for service. He then signs the form and forwards it to the stake president.

The stake president interviews the candidate for worthiness and signs the recommendation form and forwards it to the local Church-service missionary coordinator's office for review, for entry into the database, and for authorization to extend the call.

The coordinator advises the stake president by letter when the processing is complete, and the stake president extends the call to the member. The stake president authorizes the bishop to set the new missionary apart.

Church-service missionaries should then contact the operation where they will be serving. They are supervised and trained under the direction of the operation in which they serve. The stake president and bishop remain the ecclesiastical leaders for the member.

How long do they serve?

The length of service may be determined by the needs of the position and the availability of the Church-service missionary. A missionary is generally called to serve from 6 to 24 months. Assignments may be extended if the availability of the missionary and the needs of the operation continue to exist, up to a maximum of 30 months. After a 30-month mission, a new recommendation form should then be submitted for another mission.

What about other Church callings?

Church-service missionaries are encouraged to serve in ward or stake callings at the discretion of their local leaders, as long as their additional duties do not interfere with Church-service missionary assignments.

How do I get started?

Review the service opportunities on this website or any other source available.

Feel free to visit, ask questions about, and evaluate one or more service opportunities through the listed contact name and phone number. This allows you and the operation manager to determine if the assignment is a good fit. Prayerfully consider the assignment to determine if it is consistent with your time, ability, and health.

Carefully complete the recommendation form, indicating your choice or choices of places to serve and the dates and times of service you desire.

Meet with your bishop so that you can give him your completed recommendation form and be interviewed for worthiness to serve.

Meet with your stake president for a worthiness interview to serve a Church-service mission.